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Citadel
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Marti [nonmonthly] –
Has the 3840 x 1080 multiscreen resolution been forgotten or is this abandoned?
Dennis M. –
Did you ever get that bug sorted out? I am still waiting for the dual 16:9 ration for both day and night…
AlilDevil –
I have had a hard time to find backgrounds with this resolution like citidel2k813x.jpg
I just wanted to say thank you and please try to get more of the 340×1200 ones out there for us.
Even thou my desktop res is 490×1600, this is workable on it.
AlilDevil –
I have had a hard time to find backgrounds with this resolution like citidel2k813x.jpg
I just wanted to say thank you and please try to get more of the 3840×1200 ones out there for us.
Even thou my desktop res is 4960×1600, this is workable on it.
citadel –
what an awesome image! well done on this one – i love it
Foz –
To solve the aspect ratio problems, wouldn’t it be easier to actually blow up the entire thing to render 9 screen worth, i.e.
123
456
789
but only have terrain, objects, etc on the middle row? That would solve all aspect ratio problems, such as the clouds, leaning trees, distorted planets, etc.
Sure it might take longer to render, but surely it would produce better (accurate) pictures in the long run?
Dan –
Hey it works fine for me. I love this feature. I’ve seen it on only one other website. My brother showed it to me, I’m sure it’s in use on alot of other sites I just haven’t seen alot of it. I do like it though, very smooth as long as your computer can handle it. Seems like an intensive tool.
gabi –
Doesn’t seem to want to do it for me. But it is after one in the am and the ghost gets into the machine around now. Either that or being tired and cack-handed has made me slack with reading the instructions.
My boy, your work is just glorious. Any chance of finding your artwork in the list of iGoogle themes with which to decorate my page. Just so people can say ‘wow, where’d you get THAT?!!’
So many brilliant colours and patterns, jewels glowing in the darkness. Such beauty feeds the soul and soothes the early morning creepies.
I’d love to have choices to decorate my page with something wonderful and different every day.
Keep it going. I don’t have the talent to do this sort of thing. More power to you.
regards, Gabi.
Selfscienc –
Excellent job on this one!!
Tom –
What I’ve always loved about this site (aside from the artwork) is the format. The simplicity of the whole site a while ago is a rarity on the Internet, as lots of sites like to “polish” their pages with useless eye-candy rollover animations and the like.
The artwork is remaining terrific as ever, but I don’t really approve of the lightbox feature. While it hasn’t gotten quite to the stage of sites like MegaUpload where every link is a large button that has a sort of “schwing” animation and noise and all the ads are complicated flash animations, but the general site format seems to be heading in that direction.
The “gallery at a glance” page is nice, I like it, but it just doesn’t seem right for a person who’s looking for a particular image to have to click on the thumbnail, then click on a caption, possibly after scrolling down.
Regardless, ten years have really let you show your improvement, as well as hardware capabilities.
Ryan –
I’ve scaled the “big” image down to 640 x 480 so it should fit better on most monitors.
bonesbro –
The FOV distortion in this picture is pretty bad near the edges. The trees all point in, and the moon in the upper right is very distorted. It makes me sad, because this is a gorgeous image.
Have you tried contacting the Vue folks to inquire about the cloud bug?
Gary –
What happened to the cloud in the dual screen image??? I have to take down this image. I’m sorry but the dual screen image looks terrible.
Ryan –
As I mentioned in my post, the cloud issue is a bug in the software. Basically, the clouds change when I change the aspect ratio and FOV.I tried to compensate for the problem (my first render looked much worse) but I wasn’t able to get the same look as the single screen render.I’ve contacted E-onsoftware about the problem this morning and we’ll see what they have to say.Sorry for the inconvenience!
Tim –
Image is too dark to see much detail. A moonlit version with the moon behind the observer would be good. Please keep the clouds in the night version. Also, please remove the over sized moon in the night version.
David W –
I cant wait for the moonlit verson!
Sean W –
The clouds in the dual & triple screens look like you’ve done a lot of work on them; they look a lot better, despite the software quirk. The dual & triple screens are great, btw.
As for Lightbox, this is a very cool little tool that I find very handy at quickly previewing different pieces at a larger size than the thumbnails. Good addition!
Good luck with getting the makers of Vue to come up with a solution! I’m sure it’s no fun having folks criticize a part of your work that wasn’t due to a fault of your own, but in the software you use. I think we all know that it’s the software’s fault. We have a good deal of faith in your skills and artistry. 🙂
G –
It would be better if the lightbox appeared in the center of the screen.
mark –
Hey Ryan
Is it just something with my computer or is the dual widescreen image badly broken up.
A wonderful image though. I enjoy it so much more than the last one.
One more thing was it would be great if you could provide the dual widescreen images as split files.
Thanks
mark –
yeah, there seems to be problems with all the multi screen efforts
Ryan –
There was a problem with the original uploads (uploaded using ASCII mode instead of Binary). I’ve re-uploaded the multi-screen files and they should be working now.
Hunter –
Amazing effort. Amazing wallpapers.
But, as you are already aware, the clouds let down the multi-screen versions. It’s like it gets lazy during the rendering, and just says “To hell with this, the picture is so big nobody will notice”.
But im still having the dual-screen as my wallpaper, despite the few iregularities.
Mark –
Ryan, loving the new effects on the gallery at a glance page!! My only problem with it is the size of the larger preview that pops up when you click on them. Say I have a small screen (1440×900), but I would like them just a bit smaller so it’s possible to see the whole image without having to scroll around. It’s trying to get that balance between smaller screens and larger screens I suppose. Sorry, but really awesome new effects, adds a whole new dimension to the page.
Thanks again!
Mark
Theo –
I agree with mark. Lightbox is a really cool affect and adds well to the feel of your site, but the size of the image popping up from lightbox is a little overwhelming. Unless you were looking to download straight from lightbox to set as your background, i’d say its a little bit to big. if it were sized down it would add that much more to your site
Mirek –
It appears the windows stretch scaling was the issue. I resized the image in photoshop and now the “blocky” distortion I experienced is gone.
Thanks.
Novacron –
This one is truly in my heap of favorites from you. This piece brings an elegance that I look forward to in your work every time I check.
Wonderful.
Jared –
Ryan,
Excellent work as always. Been a fan since the beginning, and always will be.
I find your work one of the first things I check when I start the day. I’ll never be able to say the spire was cut off or etc., but I’m just glad you’re doing what you’re doing.
Keep it up!
I think most could say the same, they just may have more time on their hands.
ChrisSpera –
I think a moonlight version would be an excellent idea. You should definitely give that a shot. I like the images you’ve been producing lately. They are really very good.
I might also suggest a full daylight render as well. It might be interesting to see how this structure would look in all three light settings: twilight, moonlight and daylight.
Keep up the great work!
Christopher Spera
Gear Diary Review Team
http://www.geardiary.com
cmmnoble –
I have one word on this one: wow! I waited to comment until I could see it on my home monitor. The computer I use at work is on its last legs and even at its brightest setting is too dark to see most of the details–but even there I could tell this one was something special. I just put it on my MacBook Pro and… wow. I can’t wait to see what it looks like on our huge iMac display. I especially like the detail in the hillsides and the choice of colors. Thanks for dreaming this one up and sharing it with us. You just made my day. 🙂
Mirek –
I have a 16:10 aspect ratio and I did try the 1920×1200 image and used “stretch” however it does distort the image visibly. I have to use center which means part of it is cut-off.
cmmnoble –
I guess I see this picture (and other similar ones) from the other perspective. I imagine that we’re ON the moon here, and the big limb that is visible is a gas giant planet or something? Or maybe, if the “moon” in the sky looks rocky, it’s a binary system of planets (like Pluto and its moon, Charon, which are about the same size)? In the search for real extra-solar planets they’ve been finding out that there are a lot of very strange, non Earth-like systems out there, so these sorts of situations are possible, physics-wise… if you want to imagine Ryan’s images are physically possible.
Myself, I enjoy the fantastic element–the big limb in the sky that says without question that this scene is “somewhere not-here, somewhere not-Earth”. Ryan’s art is a kind of realistic fantasy or fantastic realism that allows my imagination to really wander. This is one of the reasons I like it so much.
Also, I’ve been meaning to make a comment on clouds for a long time. I’ve got a Ph.D. in meteorology. I’ve spent a lot of time looking at real clouds (I’m still a cloud and storm watcher), and I’ve never been bothered by Ryan’s computer generated ones. In fact, I often think that the “unrevised” versions look more realistic (as in the pickle jar version of “River Valley”, for example). That’s just my opinion, of course… but I thought I’d add my two cents.
Ryan –
If your screen is truly 16:10 then there shouldn’t be any distortion. Both 1290 x 1200 and 1680 x 1050 are 16:10 resolutions. Even if I offered a version for download I would simply be resizing the 1920 x 1200 image which is what Windows is doing for you automatically.What sort of distortion are you seeing? Are things fatter or thinner, taller or shorter?
Michelle –
I think this my favorite one you’ve done so far this year. It really gets my imagination stirring. 🙂 I have a feeling though if you make a night version, it’s going to knock my socks off!
Ryan –
I am in the process of rendering a multi-screen version right now. The single screen version took around 50 hours to render so the multi-screen will probably take around 72.I plan on rendering multi-screen versions of all my images. Unless I explicitly say that I won’t be attempting a multi-screen version, you can expect to find one a few days after the single screen.
Will –
First I really like this piece. It has a tranquil majesty to it that is soothing. I just looked at the 1998 version, and WOW, big difference in both software and technique. I am glad 10 years later both your skills and tools have continued to go up in quality! Great job.
Brij –
Hi Ryan, just VNC’d into my home pc where I have your new image as my background, and the colour depth i think is about 8bit or something like that, the colours seem darker, and give it that broken/old effect, and it looks marvellous!!
Got me thinking, have you ever created any pics of ruins or “ancient” buildings?
Dennis –
The spire is not cut off… the photographer simply didn’t consider it when he framed the shot. 🙂
Steve –
Ryan,
The demand from your user base is extraordinary no doubt. With that said, the quality of work you are able to come up with despite this pressure is amazing. I’m sure you could improve something in every work you release. But understanding that you’ll get pounded with “when’s the next image” messages I think drives you to focus 90% quality and 10% time. Otherwise, I have no doubt that you’d be 100% about quality and getting it perfect every time.
I guess that’s the trade off with selling your images and using this as a way of life 🙂 Ah sorry to get philosophical..
Anyway, kudos as usual, this is brilliant.
Steve
Dave –
I don’t like this image. I think it could be a bit more colorful. All of the colors look very drab and similar to each other. Just my opinion!
Dan –
Wow I really love this one! I love the attention to detail in the mountains, sky, bridge and castle. It’s all very “movie-like”!
Patrick –
There are a lot of things I like about this image. I like the colour of the sky, the citadel itself, the viewpoint and the silhouetted nature of the ensemble. However, it’s got another one of those planet-destroying moons in the background. I know many people like them but for me they just destroy my imagination. I guess for me these very large moons are a personal bugbear.
If there had been no overly large moon or one which resembles our own then I would have given this image a 10. However, since there is one I’ve given it a 6. Sorry. 🙁
Sahnsey –
This image – to me – is about height and drama, just like a Citadel would encompass. I love the bridge as well.
I think you did right by the colors and I love the moon in the back ground. It’s a reminder that no matter how high you soar, how impenetrable your fortress is, there will always be something greater.
Matt Hall –
The details on the bridge is great, and the lighting overall is awesome. I don’t have any qualms against “planet Destroying moons” so I gave it a 10.
Travis –
I really like the see all gallery, but I was going back to find the old citadel, and realized that there are no titles with the images. I think it would be very helpful to have a tool tip or at least a Alt tag to define the title of the images.
Thanks for all your work, I am a true fan.
– Travis
kellzilla –
Travis: If you hover over the image, the name of the image is in the link that will show up at the bottom of your browser. It’s something, at least.
(Also, he linked to the old Citadel in the announcement paragraph.)
Ryan: I LOVE this one. I love the grand scale of the building, but the BRIDGE is my favorite part! Moonlight version or no moonlight version, this is a fabulous piece!
Liz –
That made me laugh out loud.
Cut off Spire: Classic.
Reading these comments reminded me of when I browse the “Lost” forums and I see threads entitled:
“OMG Kate is wearing a shirt with a tag saying “Made in Korea” does that mean her shirt came from Sun’s Dad’s company?????”
“OMG I see a face in this section of shrubbery [Insert Blurry Screenshot here of the Ocean], What do you guys see?????”
“OMG Locke started walking with his RIGHT foot first in Act 2, Scene 10. But in Act 3, Scene 3 he starts walking with his LEFT foot first. Does this imply he is time travelling????”
Back to the point: Ryan, another stunning image. I just love these sunset/dawn images that you come up with. Your lighting choices are just beautiful!
Becca –
I’m over here in India these days, and folks who see my computer screen invariably ask “where do you get that gorgeous art?”
This one’s another winner. I’m one of those who especially like the deep space pieces, and the other-worldly works. For me, I like the big planets, ring systems, nebulae and galaxy formations.
Genj –
Would you think about creating 1680×1050 images?
Logical –
I noticed many people have been commenting about the unrealistic look of the clouds. I do agree that they could be made a little more like real earthly clouds, but I think the smooth look adds to the other-worldly feel of the picture. This is obviously not earth (both the citadel itself and the planet in the background prove that), so why does every part of the picture need to look identical to earth?
Ryan –
I provide 1920 x 1200 images which will scale down perfectly to fit 1680 x 1050 screens. My policy has always been to provide 1 hi-res file which the user can then scale down to a number of different display resolutions (especially since most OSes will perform this function automatically).If you are using Windows set your Display Properties to “Stretch” the image. Since 1920 x 1200 and 1680 x 1050 are the same aspect ratio the image will scale down to fit your screen without distortion.Let me know if you have any other questions.
Ryan –
I agree the clouds could have used a little more work. Honestly, I had a different sky configured (and has spent quite a bit of time on it) and then a program crash caused me to lose the clouds. This was the next best thing I could come up with.All I can say is that Vue d’Esprit clouds are tricky to work with. I think it’s fair to say they should look more “Earth-Like” becasue I do include Earth-like trees in the image.That said, I’m happy enough with how they turned out and I’m not planning on changing them for the day version.
Fi –
I like this version, but I’m more excited about seeing the night version of this. I think it will look great.
I agree, the clouds do not look realistic.
Eric H. –
Ryan, by far one of your best masterpieces. I have gotten lost in it for a good while at a time, always noticing little new things.
As far as overall feel, this Citadel reminds me of the game Shadow of the Colossus for Playstation 2.
Amazing piece of art, I look forward to being amazed at your work and you never disappoint. A solid 10 in my eyes.
Phillip D –
Nice work…did you modeled that sci-building entirely yourself?…if so, excellent work on it….
I also have 1680 X 1050 monitor, I have no problems using the 1920 X 1200 for it (as i read the comments below)
I know lots of folks love big moons, but they appear too unrealistic for me, but that is just me…even though this image was intended to be more fantasy type….I like smaller moons .
asterismW –
I quite like the clouds. They’re my favorite part of the picture. They remind me of the clouds in Circumpolar, one of my all-time favorite images.
John –
Ryan,
Very Cool!
Chris –
I’m sure someone has already said this and I know it takes rendering time, but I think Citadel (2008) would be a great dual-wide image, if you have time to render it. Thanks!
Thomas –
I love it! 🙂
Hunter –
I’ve been sitting on the edge of my seat for the last day or two, waiting … waiting … waiting.
But it was worth the wait! Exceeds expectations in every way possible! Nice job!
I can only imagine a day time version, I wonder what those dark cliffs are hiding?
Thanks for a great wallpaper Ryan!
Hunter –
Sorry, didn’t realise it was a daytime one! Anywho, I can’t wait to see your next one, whether is is a moonlight version of this, or anything else! Keep up the great work!
SCM –
Well, outstanding… Cannot wait for the dual and triple screen version. Keep up the good work!
Woody –
Killer job on the sky! Can’t wait for the other versions 🙂
Shawn –
Another gorgeous piece. Cant wait to see a moonlight version of this one, tho.
Pat –
Awesome, but the spire is cut off.
Ryan –
I was wondering how long it would take for someone to comment on the cut off Spire. 10 minutes. Not bad.
Jonathan –
Beautiful image. Looks like the building could also be some kind of observatory. I wonder about having a figure or two on the bridge, silouetted by the light behind it…
Justin –
It’s comical that you know your user-base so well to predict what they’re going to pick up on.
Personally, I keep finding my view drawn to the bridge and the sunrise/sunset. The sky looks great, and I’ve always found unique bridges to be interesting. My only suggestion would be that if you do another version with different lighting, whether moonlight or full sun, try it on the face of the building that we’re looking at to bring out its detail, as well as that of the cliff.
Hats off to another awesome piece.
Josh –
This is a really nice piece of work! Also kind of funny how it reminds me of planet Naboo from Star Wars.
Logical –
This is definitely one of your best wallpapers ever. I would prefer this type of scene, focusing on architecture and a broad sweeping landscape. I would love to see more like this. A night version would be REALLY cool.
My brother also noticed that this reminded him of Naboo in Star Wars.
Great job!
Matt –
I like it. The lighting makes it look at little soft though. I would really love to see another version with different lighting, maybe night like you suggested.
Mirek –
Absolutely love this, only thing I wish is that you had these in 1680 x 1050.
Brad Jense –
This image, like all your work, is spectacular.
Unfortunately, like the other ones, I can notice a level of graininess in the image (maybe it is my monitor). I find that it really spoils the view.
Regardless, good job on the image, the sure graininess didn’t stop me from setting it as my background.
Soulyouth –
They just keep looking better and better the more you do them.
This one is great, can’t wait for the dual wide screen version, would love to see a midday version of this with more colour and another beautiful sky
thx again for your great work
Justin –
dayam, I’m lovin the work lately. I like the colors most of all ^^
Gilboron –
(Note: If you don’t want to, you don’t need to)
I’m just wondering what else would be able to be seen off the edges of the picture in a dual or tri-screen version. Of course, you don’t have to do one, and I only have one screen, so it’s not like I could use one…
Curtis –
How far you’ve come! this is one of my personal favorite images that you’ve created. I love it. You have continued to make gorgeous images that no one else can come close to having.
Words cant describe the beauty of this.
KC –
I’m not a fan of the mist at the bottom, I find it a bit dull, but otherwise I like it, the sky is incredible, I’d love a whole screen of just that.
Also I’m liking the new menus, it makes things so much easier, especially looking for mobile backgrounds, Archipelago still for me I think. (One of the top 5 in my book, it’s also spread across two monitors on the PC downstairs.)
Cheers.
Jon H –
This looks awesome!
Great job!
Lee –
I like this a lot Ryan. One of the best I have seen. I would love to see this in the Dual Widescreen. I also agree with the comment about difference lighting. It would be cool to see a nightscape with the moon coming through lighting the clouds.
omar; –
It really is amazing!
I’m giving it a 10 for the concept. Although the sky could use some work, specially with the clouds.
Would be great to see different lighting versions of this one. Although since this image is at dusk, I’m not sure if it would be better to see a day version or night version.
Hmm… Possibly a day version on the morning, with the sun illuminating the citadel from the other side.
Hunter –
Now that I am at home (as opposed to work), I took the time to fiddle around with photoshop’s effects and see if I can tune the lighting, brightness etc. to my liking. (I NEVER redistribute ANY image that is not my property, after all, you have a family to support!)
Anyway, what I noticed was that there is a pretty thick layer of white (the brightness). In all honesty, I prefer it dark, and acting as a silhouette against the setting sun. By using photoshop’s Auto-Contrast, it will darken the picture, bringing out a huge wad of detail, and practically making my jaw drop once more.
The effect basically act’s as sunglasses, reducing the glare, and giving you more detail.
Just thought I’d let you know!
P.S: Great job on the sky, I didn’t have time to really scan it over before!
Sean W –
…the clouds are a little off. It’s kind of the same issue as some of your previous pieces where the clouds look slightly unnatural. They seem to have some short, semi-solid tendrils at their edges instead of being soft and rounded. And not all of them have this, just a few here and there. I actually did not see the cut-off spire. 🙂
I think this is a fantastic piece! Since the time period for this one seems to be sunset, I think a really awesome variant would be an early-morning time period, maybe even dawn. I’d love the see this angle of the Citadel lit up by some cool, bright morning light.
Excellent work, Ryan!
alexM –
This wallpaper is awesome. I had said that I would like to see a cool structure again and this definitely fulfills that. I really like it.
10/10
Compuzen –
I love the lighting. Think you’ll do a triscreen version of this?
Pat –
It’s a gift…
Laura –
I love this scene. Personally the clouds don’t bother me at all. I would certainly be intrested in seeing a morning/daylight version. This scene made me think of Emerald City (Naboo as well) if Emerald City was set in an mountain area. Well done again, Ryan!
Chris –
Great render, though it does suffer a bit from the clouds. Also, the moon seems hidden directly behind the citadel. The pic might benefit from showing a bit more of it.
Still an awesome image though, and it’s already on my desktop. I judge these images by whether or not I look at them and wish I was there, actually looking at them with my own eyes. This one passes with flying colors, as I’ve already looked at it, and wished I was sitting on the citadel balcony, gazing up at the moon =)
eman –
May I suggest a way to improve the “look” of the clouds?
It seems your clouds are a little too smooth and plastic near their edges. The problem is that a real cloud should have a fractal structure: it should have a similar bumpy, irregular appearance at all scales. The closer I look at your clouds, the more they begin to resemble soft-serve ice cream. There’s not enough fine detail.
Which is a darn shame, because your clouds look very, very good from a distance, or zoomed out, like in the thumbnail, where the fine detail (or lack thereof) shrinks.
So my suggestion is: Why don’t you render the clouds smaller? In other words, zoom out on them, and render more of them at a smaller scaele? That way they will look more bumpy up close. You don’t even have to change anything else. I’d just like to see your full-size image filled with a level of cloud bumpiness similar to what you can see in the thumbnail.
(Of course that will take more rendering time… I hope the clouds aren’t a considerable chunk of your time budget!)
Labanimal –
Ryan – FANTASTIC work! – really love this
The spire… would be nice not to have it chopped off…
I’ve been sitting looking at this wonderful design, and the only other thing i’m kind of hoping for :
I love the game Need for Speed Most wanted. There are moments in the game where you drive towards the sun and its almost blinding as it shines through between the trees and buildings casting shadows and shapes. Would be nice if you could add that kind of effect/glare coming out behind the cliff & bridge! The arches in the bridge kind of projecting the sun’s rays down towards the lower trees lighting up the haze, giving it that late afternoon glow!… – I just hope it won’t detract from the building…
Sometimes i wonder how you do it! You create something SO beautiful to the point where i think to myself; ‘man, Ryan’s gonna have a tough time bettering this’ and you deliver time and time again!
labanimal –
P.S. – the Effect i’m talking about – you did well in Daybreak ; http://members.digitalblasphemy.com/content/jpgs/db/daybreak.jpg
celmendo –
Best image you’ve done in a while in my opinion. The citadel itself looks a little odd to me. Kind of wonky. Not all vertical. I’m sure that was on purpose but people usually don’t build things kind of straight and kind of not. I still rate it a 10. Awesome.
Deatherage –
I like it, but i feel like you could have done more with the light from the sunset. 🙂
NautilusNT –
Looking at the 1998 version of this image, it shows the great progression in your work. I wouldn’t change a thing with this image.
Love Infinite…..
Gabi –
First comment for me. Once again, you have proved yourself a master. This one is lovely. Serene above, hint of menace where the eye comes down to the shadows; is all this beauty threatened?
Have I seen this building before? I don’t mean the previous citadel. Saint Sofia? Turkey? Jerusalem? I Haven’t checked. Don’t jump on me.
Clouds look great to me. Vertical perspective can deceive you into thinking it’s crooked, but usually its not.
david w –
first posted 06/24/09
last updated 06/24/08
unless he took his work from the future and went back in time and re did it.
its like a future-cover, today.
Paul H. –
One of my new favorites. Thanks for always keeping it fresh.
Tom –
Excellent job, I love the sunset just the way it is, but I too would prefer a slightly raised cropping of this one. On my screen, the top of the building seems crammed up against the menu bar. Vertically centering the building would fix that.
A couple of the clouds look odd to me too, but I can get over that!
Amazing, as usual, which is why I’ll keep coming back for more!
9.5/10!
Mike –
Cool! I look forward to the moonlit version 🙂